


SPQR Bonus: 21st Birthday

by ElfGrove



Series: SPQR: LOSH [1]
Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, Prequel, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 03:29:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4813292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElfGrove/pseuds/ElfGrove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A quick one-shot prequel snippet in the SPQR: Legion of Super-Heroes universe. College freshman Nico and two of his friends sneak into the event of the decade, Tempest's 21st Birthday Party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	SPQR Bonus: 21st Birthday

**– NICO –**

_It’s stupid. He knows it is. But even when you’re trying to pretend to be a nobody, every once in a while you should get to abuse your connections. Why else have connections? Besides, it wasn’t entirely for him, he’d gotten his two friends on the list for this club tonight alongside his name. He might not be twenty-one, but eighteen was old enough to be inside and dancing, and Father’s secretary at DOA Records hadn’t even blinked when he asked about getting on the invite list. She’d been more surprised when he’d declined the offer to acquire fake IDs for his friends and himself._

_Fake IDs might not be a huge deal, but this wasn’t a party where he wanted to get caught breaking the law. How many chances did you get to attend the 21st birthday party of an actual superhero? SPQR had rented out the trendiest club in Manhattan for Tempest’s celebration, and it had been turned into the hottest club party this decade. You had to be on the list or as famous as the birthday boy to get in. It would suck to get kicked out and spend the night in jail for the sake of a lousy beer._

Alexis hugged him again, lifting him off his feet for a brief moment, the pink pleather of the crop top making a squeaking noise in protest. 

Nico laughed and pushed his friend away, “You get any glitter on me, and I’ll never forgive you.”

“You’d look hot with it,” Alexis teased. “Seriously, I owe you so huge for getting us into this! How did you manage to get us on the list?”

“Someone at my Father’s office did me a favor,” Nico shrugged, rubbing the newly buzzed hair at the back of his head in what he was sure would become a nervous gesture if he kept this undercut style. “Don’t expect it to happen again or anything, but I thought this might be worth it.”

“Definitely worth it.” Alexis pulled his hand away from his head. “Stop scratching. It looks great.”

He shot a sheepish smile in return, “Thanks.”

“Okay, so where did Charles wander off to?”

“Probably to get a beer. Beckendorf’s actually old enough to drink.”

“Loser. Come on. Let’s dance.”

* * *

 

**– JASON –**

He smiled as Silena handed him a mixed drink that managed to create a rainbow effect, each inch a different colored liquid. “What on earth is this?”

“A [Lifesaver](http://tipsybartender.tumblr.com/post/128419007213/taste-the-rainbow-%C2%BD)!” She grinned, pulling a tall and well-built guy with a charming smile closer. “This cutie just introduced me to it! What was your name again?”

“Charles Beckendorf.” The guy blushed, running a hand over fluffy, curly black hair that stood out a few inches from his head. “They call it something different around here, but the bar back in my hometown calls it a Lifesaver. I had to walk the bartender through making one, and I guess I caught her attention.”

“You’ve gotta try it,” Silena gushed encouragingly. “He’s a chemist or something.”

“Engineering student over at Columbia,” He supplied. “Sorry if it’s not your thing.”

Jason smiled and took a sip, “A bit too sweet for me, but very cool drink. I appreciate you sharing it with us.”

“No problem.”

“Spoilsport,” Silena teased. “Well, watch our drinks, I’m going dancing.”

She handed a pair of Lifesavers off to the nearest SPQR handler there to keep an eye on the partying superheroes, and dragged Charles off to the nearest dance floor.

“She’s going to eat that boy alive,” Clarisse mused, taking the drink from Jason’s hand and trying it herself before making a face and putting it down on the table.

“I said it was too sweet,” He grinned up at her.

“And I told you to get up and go enjoy your party, Sparky.”

“I am enjoying it.”

“You’re sitting in a loft watching other people enjoy it. Go dance. Play beer pong. Get drunk off your arse. Whatever. Have fun.”

“The morning-after photos wouldn’t be worth it.”

Clarisse sighed loudly and leaned on the railing overlooking the main dance floor. “You’re allowed to cut loose once in a while. If anything, they’ll be disappointed if you don’t tonight. Look at Silena, she’s having fun. Take a cue from her.”

“What about you?”

“I’m playing DD. I’m big and tough enough to stop you if you get crazy drunk, so I’m staying sober specifically so you don’t have to worry. Now shoo, before I throw you downstairs.”

“The cameras would have a field day with that.”

“Give them another option then. At least dance.”

Jason downed the remains of the two drinks his teammates had brought him so far then waved a lazy salute to Clarisse. “Fine. I’m going. Where’s Silena?” He put his hands up when that earned him a glare from his partner, “I’ll branch out, promise. She gives me a place to start.”

* * *

 

He managed to make his way towards the center of the dance floor without being interrupted where Silena was enthusiastically dancing with Charles. He chuckled to himself when he caught Charles waving and pointing in a way he probably thought was subtle to another pair of dancers, probably the friends he had come here with, who were dancing nearby.

One was tall, lanky and androgynous, in a pink crop top with a shock of fire red hair. Next to the tall person was a shorter guy with olive skin and silky dark hair in an undercut. He threw his head back in a laugh as the taller leaned in to yell something to him over the music, and Jason found his eyes following the lines of lean muscle down the throat and across the arms hugged by a fitted black t-shirt with a skull motif and across the exposed arms. He swallowed briefly, wondering if the pair were a couple.  _He certainly wouldn’t mind a dance with the shorter guy if he was free. Something about him shone in the dim lighting of the club._

Silena tapped his shoulder and he turned to meet her amused gaze and quirked eyebrow. “Come to join the party at last?”

He smiled and glanced at Charles behind her, who was now being surrounded by his two friends, chatting animatedly, “Yeah.”

“Well I’m taken right now, so you better ask someone else to dance, Birthday Boy,” She winked and turned back to grab Charles’ hand and lead him away, back towards the bar.

Jason shook his head. Silena was going to have the hangover from hell in the morning at the rate she was going.

“Happy Birthday,” The person in the pink crop top called jovially, stepping close. “Having fun?”

“Working on it.” He glanced past them, to the boy in black who was now staring at him with wide dark eyes that reflected the changing lights, olive skin a little flushed looking.  _He wondered what those eyes would do close up if he asked for that dance._

“Name’s Alexis. We don’t need to worry about your girl with our Charlie, do we?”

Jason chuckled, “He’ll be fine. She’s not cutting into anything, is she?”

“Nope!” Alexis waved a hand dismissively. “I’m not into guys. She’s welcome to have her way with him.”

That prompted a small twist in Jason’s gut. _If this Alexis wasn’t into guys, then the dark-haired boy was… Gone._

He glanced swiftly back to Alexis, “Your dance partner?”

There was a mischievous grin, “Completely available, and very much into guys.”

“No.”  _Well yes. That was great news._  Jason shook his head. “I mean, that’s great, but he disappeared.”

The red head whirled around. “Oh dammit! Neeks?!” Alexis turned back, “Sorry, I gotta go find him. Nice meeting you, Tempest.”

“Same,” He smiled halfheartedly, giving ‘Neeks’ up to the crowds.  _He might be New York’s Golden Boy, but that didn’t mean he got everything he wanted. It was a shame though. He rarely felt such an instant draw to someone like that._  “Have fun tonight.”

“You too!”

* * *

 

**– NICO –**

Alexis found him pressed against a pillar supporting one of the viewing lofts, trying to catch his breath.  _He hadn’t meant to Shadow Travel. Certainly not in public. It was a miracle no one had noticed. He’d just panicked when he realized Tempest was staring directly at him. Of course, he’d been hoping to catch sight of the superhero in the crowds. From a safe distance. He’d never expected to be looked at back. The wide blue eyes had been a brighter shade in person than he had imagined, and they had stared at him as if he knew. But that as impossible. Jason Grace had no idea that he existed, much less who he was._

“You okay there Neeks?”

“Yeah. Fine. just needed to get out of the crowd for a minute.”  _Liar._

“You sure? We can leave if you want to. I wouldn’t even be here tonight without you.”

“No. No. Go dance. Have fun. I’m just taking a breather.”

“I’m going to grab you a drink. Water or pop?”

“Coke.”

“Alright. Stay put.”

He nodded, forcing his hands to release their death grip on the pillar behind him.

He mumbled to himself, “Never doing this again. That could have been a disaster.”


End file.
